Instead, he will take his talents to Jervis Bay as he tries a different approach to start the year.

“Previously I’ve done Geelong and it’s a really tough race – it was possibly the toughest race I did all last year,” he said.

It has been almost 10 years since he last raced at Jervis Bay.

“I last raced there in about 2009 or 2010 so it would be really nice to start the year with a win,” he said.

As a result of his slow start to the year last year, van Berkel will warm into the triathlon season after having a lengthy break over December and into January.

“I had a longer break this year and didn’t really do anything until mid-January so I thought I’d start with something a little easier,” he said.

“The big race for me will be the North American championships in April.”

The Port Macquarie product said he was looking forward to the year ahead where he had already set small goals.

“It will probably be my last year of giving Hawaii a go because it’s still a big goal for me, but if I miss out, that’ll probably be it,” he said.

“I’m not jumping straight into the deep end and I’m pretty happy with where things are.”

Ironman Australia Port Macquarie will return to the Hastings in May, but van Berkel appears unlikely to line up on the start line.

“I’d love to return home because I haven’t raced there since 2012, but I’ve got a family now,” he said.

“I’ve got to chase the big races so it means I probably won’t be at Port Mac this year.”